“Or,” Ezra interjected. “I could take your cabin and he could bunk with Zeb.”

“If anybody is getting Kanan’s cabin, it’s gonna be me.” Zeb growled. 

“No one is getting my cabin.” Kanan snapped. “That’s the point.”

“Kanan, please.” Hera sighed, some of her frustrations slipping out. “Be reasonable.”

“This is me being reasonable.” he hissed. 

The atmosphere in the lounge shifted in an instant, reacting to the venom in Kanan’s voice. Wide eyes were locked on this towering form, the chilling air of confusion and disbelief filling the sudden silence. Hera stood, stunned by the harshness in his words before she snapped back to herself, anger heating her blood.

She latched onto his arm and pulled him from the room, dragging him down the short hallway to her cabin. She wasted no time pushing him inside when the doors began to part, following him in and slapping the locking mechanism, sealing them in. Kanan’s brows pulled together in a scowl, his jaw muscles working furiously as he stared her down. 

“Unlock the door,” he said. 

“No.” Hera responded, planting her hands on her hips. “Not until you stop acting like a kriffing asshole.”

“Hera, unlock the door.” Kanan repeated, his voice low and threatening. Hera’s lekku tightened at the warning but she pressed on. This had gone on long enough. She could understand that Kanan was upset but she needed him to see how ridiculous he was being. He was letting himself get all worked up over nothing and he needed to let it go. 

“It’s just for a few nights until Ahsoka gets back.” she replied, digging her heels in.

“Then he can stay on the Liberator.”

“You know we can’t dock with the Liberator while it’s in orbit.”

“Then Sato can send a shuttle to pick him up.” Kanan snapped. “Or he can rent out a room in the spaceport, I don’t kriffing care but he’s not staying here. That’s final.”

“That’s final?” she arched a brow. “Last time I checked, this was my ship. I’m the one who gets to make the call on who stays and who goes. I don’t see the issue in letting him spend a few nights here.”

“Of course you don’t.” Kanan huffed. He turned on his heel and began pulling clothes out from the storage compartment, tossing them onto the bed with force. 

“What is that supposed to mean? What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving.” Kanan replied flatly. The words hit Hera like a wall of ice, old fears racing to the surface of her mind, her heart racing in her chest.

“You’re what?” she whispered. 

“If he’s staying here then I’m leaving. I’ll find somewhere else to bunk down until Ahsoka gets back. I’m not staying here.”  he said, shoving clothes into a bag.   

“You can’t be serious!” she cried. “Kanan, it’s just for a few nights! What is the big deal?”

“He’s a clone!” Kanan yelled, spinning around to face her with a wild look in his eyes. “That’s what the big deal is!” 

Hera blinked. “But everything on Seelos, I thought…”

“What? You thought I’d suddenly be okay with clones just because they helped us out in a pinch?”

“No! I just thought that maybe…”

“I’m not like you, Hera.” Kanan continued on, his chest heaving. “The clones didn’t swoop in and save my planet. They murdered my master in front of me. They tried to kill me. So forgive me if I’m not so trusting of our new guest.”

Hera’s eyes slipped closed. Of course. She restrained the urge to smack her forehead. She should have known it would take more than one mission to rebuild Kanan’s trust in the clones. She should have known this was the reason behind his attitude. Hera bit the inside of her cheek again and mentally kicked herself. 

It was different for her. When looked at Rex’s face she saw Howzer. She saw countless soldiers that had risked their lives to free her planet from the separatists control. When Kanan looked at Rex, he was haunted by the memory of the Purge, his friends turned against him, his family slaughtered. Of course he wouldn’t be comfortable with a clone living on the ship. She could hardly blame him.

Still, she couldn’t push past her guilt.

She should have known. 

When she opened her eyes she saw Kanan, really saw him. Under his dark expression she could see the shadows clinging to the corners of his eyes, the fragile state of his shoulders, tensed and ready for a fight, seconds away from shattering. He was barely holding himself together. And she had, once again, allowed herself to get caught up in the excitement of growing the rebellion to notice. So blinded by her eagerness to fly that she didn’t account for the weather. 

Hera’s hand dropped from her hips, falling limply by her sides. “I’m sorry, love.” she said, taking a slow step towards him. Kanan tensed but didn’t move away. She placed her hands on his shoulders, carefully working her fingers into the tense muscles before sliding one hand behind his neck. Gently she pulled him down, until his head was resting on her shoulder, his body trembling in her arms. “I’m sorry.”

Kanan shook, his breathing sharp and ragged as Hera swayed back and forth. She hummed a gentle lullaby while her fingers slowly undid the straps of his shoulder armor, letting the heavy material fall to the floor. When Kanan’s breathing slowed, Hera led them over to her bed, tossing his bag aside and laid down beside him.

“I just,” Kanan said in a broken whisper that made Hera’s heart ache. “I’m trying. I just need time.”

Hera kissed his forehead and pulled him in close as if she could protect him from the nightmares of the past. “I know love.” she told him. “I’m sorry I pushed so hard. I’ll have Zeb relay a message to Rex about finding a room at the spaceport.”

“‘M sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize, love. It’s not your fault.” Hera squeezed her eyes close, fighting back a wave of tears. “You just need time.”

She felt Kanan shutter, his choked off whimper muffled by her chest. 

But another dark thought started to take shape in her mind, pushing past the old horrors of what ifs. 

What were they going to do if they actually did win the war? 

Would her crew leave to carve out a place for themselves in the new galaxy?

Would Kanan stay?

“Stop that.” Kanan said, slicing through the dark thoughts that had begun to swim through her mind.

“Stop what?” she said after a moment, giving her head a little shake. Kanan was still seated, his back towards her but his head was tilted to the side, as if he was listening for something. 

“Stop thinking whatever you're thinking.” he told her. Hera rolled her eyes and tossed her datapad aside, where it clattered loudly on her work bench. 

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” she grumbled, pulling at the sheets on her cot and slipping between them. 

“I’ve got a few techniques if you wanna try.” Kanan stood, lowering the lights with a flick of his wrist. Even in the dim lighting, Hera’s sharp Twi’lek eyesight could work out the shape of his body as he moved, srtipping out of his long pants, leaving him in nothing but his underclothes. She watched through hooded eyes as he pulled his hair free and let it hang around his face before he climbed into bed with her. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, pulling her against his chest. 

“I was just thinking about something stupid.” she tried to brush his question off, sliding one of her legs between his. 

“It can’t be that stupid if it’s upset you.” he murrmered into her skin. “Talk to me.”

Hera’s fingers touched Kanan’s collarbone, feeling the slightly raised skin of another scar. This one she about. He had only been fourteen and trapped in a warzone. 

“Do you ever think,” she began softly. “Do you ever think about what comes after the Empire?”

“Of course.” Kanan said with little hesitation. “A new government would need to be established quickly. Once the Empire’s gone there will be a huge vacuum of power and all the wrong kinds of people will be vying for it.”

“Not that.” Hera said, looking up into his strage teal eyes. “I mean with us? What will you do once the Empire falls? Won’t you and Ezra have a duty to, I don’t know, start a new Jedi Order or something?”

This time, Kanan’s answer wasn’t instantaneous. The longer he waited to speak, the more Hera’s fears grew. She knew she was being foolish, to ask such a nebulous question. The future was impossible to predict so there was no point in worrying too much over it. But her mind wouldn’t let her fear go. She needed to hear it from him. 

“I'll do whatever my captain asks of me.” He said eventually, his grip around her tightening. 

“Kanan, I’m being serious!” 

“So am I.” he told her. “I couldn’t run a new Jedi Order even if I wanted to.” He took her hand in his and gently kissed her knuckles, sending a cascade of sparks up her arm. “Because my attention, my heart, is here, with you. I will teach Ezra everything he needs to grow the Order but my destiny is wherever you go.”

He kissed her knuckles again, then her forehead, her cheek, and then finally her lips. When they parted, Hera could feel her heart pounding in her ears, her skin flush with heat. 

“I love you.” she breathed. 

“And I, you.” he held her tighter. Hera let her eyes slip close, feeling safe in the embrace of his arms, the tightness in her chest dissipating. 

“The Minister says thanks for bringing the children home safely.” Kanan translated for Hera.“He wants to offer us a gift as a gesture of the town’s gratitude.” 

Hera shook her head, her lekku swinging behind her back. “We appreciate the gift Minister, but we couldn’t possibly accept. Not for something like this.” 

The Minister held up a long fingered hand, warding off Kanan’s attempt to hand the bag of credits back. He spoke again and bowed before turning away from them and heading back towards his people. 

“He insists.” Kanan said with a shrug watching the Ithorian’s retreating back. 

“I don’t like taking money for jobs like this.” Hera frowned. “It doesn’t seem right.”

Kanan agreed but still tucked the bag of credits away into a pocket. They were running low on just about everything and were in desperate need of cash if they wanted to keep the Ghost flying. But he understood where Hera was coming from. Saving children from slavers wasn’t something they should get paid to do. It was something that should be done because it was the right thing, the only thing, to do. 

When Kanan looked up, the crowd of families had begun to disperse from the landing field, parents holding their children tightly as they made their way back to their homes. Hera was still watching them with a distant look on her face. 

“Do you remember your parents?” she asked suddenly, her green eyes tracking a young Twi’lek mother and her two children walking towards the center of town. Kanan blinked at the question, in his mind’s eye he saw a flash of dark hair, the gentle sound of a whispered lullaby ringing faintly in his ears. The sweet smell of grass filled his nose, tempered by the sharp musk of animal fur. 

“No.” Kanan responded, the rush of sensations fading as quickly as they came. “I never knew my parents.” 

Hera turned her attention towards him, a look of disbelief playing on her face. “Never?”

Kanan shook his head. “I was taken to the Temple when I was only a few days old. I never had the chance to know them.”

“Did you ever wonder about them? About where you came from?” 

“Not really.” Kanan shrugged, tucking his thumbs behind his belt buckle. “I suppose I could have looked into it but I never really felt the need.” 

He could tell from the way her brows furrowed and the tips of her lekku curled that she didn’t understand his attitude towards his family, or lack thereof. Family was a strong part of Rylothian culture, knowing your ancestors, knowing your people, was deeply ingrained in Hera’s way of living. It was part of the reason why she fought back against the Empire so hard. He wasn’t the least bit surprised that she would find his indifference confusing. 

“Why?” she asked, the corners of Kanan’s mouth lifting with a smile. “Didn’t you want to know? Didn’t you want to know who your people were?”

Caleb Dume had never cared to know about his birth parents. It wasn’t that the Master kept the information from him, it was always there in the Temple Archives but he had never been compelled to look like some of the other younglings. He had no need. The Jedi were all he had ever known. They were his people. His family. He didn’t need anyone else. 

Kanan Jarrus never had the luxury to care about such things.  

“The Order were my people.” he told her, taking her hand in his. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, feeling the soft leather of her gloves. “They raised me, cared for me, taught me almost everything I needed to know. I had no need to look for family anywhere else.”

He could still see questions swirling around her green eyes, the morning sun making them shimmer like gemstones. Kanan pulled her in, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“It doesn’t matter where I came from.” he said as they began to walk back to the Ghost. “I don’t care about that. Besides, who my people are now is all that matters.”

“Oh yeah?” he could hear the smirk in her voice. “And who's that?”

“A really cranky freighter pilot and her equally cranky droid.”

“Hey!” Hera pinched his side. “I’m not cranky!”

“Clearly you’ve never met you before you’ve had caf.” he pointed out. “I have and she’s not so nice.”

Hera tisked and rolled her eyes as she slipped out from under his arm and marched up the loading ramp. “You’re no sweetheart in the morning either, love.”

“That’s why we are each other’s people!” he smiled, throwing his arms wide to close the hatch. “We’re all cranky here.”

“You’re insufferable.” she sighed, climbing up the ladder to the cockpit. 

“But you love me.” 

“Yes dear, I do.”

Kanan followed her up to the cockpit and fell into his chair, working through the preflight checklist with ease. Within moments, Hera had the Ghost lifting up into the air before zipping off into the deep black of space. 

“All joking aside,” Kanan said as the hypnotic swirl of hyperspace danced across the viewport. “I meant what I said.” he swiveled his chair so he was facing her, reaching for her hands so he knew he had her attention. He carefully peeled off her gloves and rested the tips of his fingers against her wrist to feel the steady beat of her pulse. “Who my birth parents are, that doesn’t matter to me. You are my family. That’s all that matters.”

Hera smiled softly at him, the look on her face so gentle that it stole the air from his lungs. She was the most beautiful being in the galaxy, filled with so much love and light. Kanan loved her. More than anything, Kanan loved her.

“Then that’s all that matters to me too.” she said, her words a cascade of light and truth. 

Kanan gave her wrist a gentle squeeze, resisting the urge to sweep her into his arms and kiss her until they both forgot their names. Last time he had done that while in hyperspace, it hadn’t ended well for anyone. Instead he turned his chair back around and settled in. 

“Where to next, Captain?” he asked, looking over the coordinates she had entered into the computer. His eyebrows rose as he looked at the planetary details. “Rion? What kind of mission did you find on Rion?”

“If you say so,” he replied. He dug around in one of his pockets and pulled out a ration bar. “You want one?” he asked her. 

Hera nodded and took the bar from his hand. She tore at the packaging with her teeth, peeling back the wrapper and crumbing up the trash in her gloved hand. Kanan glanced up at the canopy overhead. Very little sunlight shone through the dense leaves, but night was still a long way off. Kanan was hoping they’d be well on their way back to the Ghost before then. He didn’t want to know what kind of creatures roamed the jungle when the sun went down. 

“They should be here soon.” Hera said as if reading his thoughts. “They would have contacted me if they ran into trouble.”

Kanan didn’t feel like pointing out that if her contact had run into trouble, they might not be able to contact her. Instead he pushed away from the tree and walked over to Hera. Wordlessly, she scooted over, giving him room to sit down. 

“I don’t mind waiting.” he said, settling in. “The company could be better but the view is nice.”

Hera punched him on the arm, nearly pushing him off the root. “Ow!” he said, rubbing his now sore arm. “I was kidding! Kriff!”

“I’m the best company you’ve ever had.” Hera said smugly, heat blossoming on her face seconds later. Kanan couldn’t help the little swoop of desire that he felt at the sight. 

“Can’t argue with that.” he smiled. Hera rolled her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her shins. The sounds of the jungle filled the silence between them, the distant cry of avians, the soft rumble of a nearby waterfall. It was peaceful here, with nothing but nature around them. It wasn’t long before he felt the gentle tug of sleep. 

Kanan gave himself a little shake, blinking his eyes rapidly. He couldn’t afford to drift off, not when he was only there as Hera’s backup. Not that Hera couldn’t take care of herself. He had seen her fight and knew full well how capable she was. But the idea of sleep, even out here in the jungle was tempting. 

They had been on the move for the last few days, jumping to one planet after the next as Hera tracked down leads. He wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for but it kept them moving with little time to rest in between. When she had first mentioned stopping on Sarka, he had hoped it was for well deserved rest. Honestly, he should have known better. 

Kanan let his mind wander, pondering the possible contacts Hera was planning on meeting with and the intel they would share. Not everything Hera got herself into revolved around crushing the Empire. Sometimes she took jobs that delivered supplies to impoverished colonies or acted as a transport, moving refugees to safe havens. It was those jobs Kanan liked helping with the most. It was those jobs that made Kanan feel like he was doing something good with his life, doing something important. 

It made him feel like the person he was always destined to be.

He had a feeling Hera knew that too. 

She had never said anything about the incident on the Forager, when he had stopped the metal catwalk from crushing her with the Force. He knew she had questions and suspected what he used to be but she never said a word about it, something Kanan was endlessly grateful for. 

Still, it didn’t sit right with him, withholding such an important part of his past from her - even if it was to keep the both of them safe. He still felt like he was lying to her and that set his teeth on edge. He didn’t want to lie to Hera, not about his past but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. Not yet. 

He would tell her one day. Maybe on the day when the itch to move on started up, he would confirm her suspicions. But Kanan was starting to think that itch had finally been satisfied. He had been part of Hera’s crew for three months now, the longest he had ever stayed in one place, and not once had he thought about leaving. 

Kanan knew it had nothing to do with the work and everything to do with the Captain. 

Something heavy dropped onto his shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts and causing him to tense. He looked down to find Hera resting on him, her eyes closed in sleep. 

Kanan froze. 

It was no secret that he found Hera attractive, it was impossible not too. Her fiery spirit and cool demeanor pulled Kanan in like a planet circling a sun. She was beautiful, competent, daring, and kind. He had known from the very moment he had heard her voice that she was going to change his life.

It was also no secret that Hera wasn’t interested in a relationship and Kanan had enough sense to respect that, even if he could sense her desire in the way she looked at him sometimes. He knew there was something between them, a spark that had come to life back on Gorse. Hera just wasn’t ready for it yet. 

But Kanan was patient. He would wait. 

Hera was the type of person worth waiting for. 

For now, he would be content as her crew, her friend. And if he was wrong, if she really didn’t want to be with him, well, he would be content with that too. Because alife with Hera Syndulla was far better than one without her. 

-

Hera woke slowly, her head resting on something warm and soft. She rubbed her cheek against it, breathing in the scent of spine trees and engine grease. It was a comforting smell, one that seemed to linger on the Ghost whenever Kanan was around. Hera’s toes curled in her boots, still drifting in the loose clutch of sleep. There was a weight on the top of her head, heavy but not so bothersome that she needed to remove it. If anything it only added to the warmth that was singing through her body. She could feel the gravity of sleep start to pull her under again when a snore broke through the quiet.

Hera’s eyes snapped open to a familiar green tunic filling her vision. The warm line of heat that was running up her side wasn’t her cot but Kanan’s body, the weight on the top of her head, Kanan’s cheek. Somehow, during their wait for her contact, she had fallen asleep. 

It was bad enough that she had fallen asleep on a job but she had fallen asleep on Kanan. 

Hera carefully extracted herself from his side, letting his head fall gently against the massive root that twisted behind them. She started pacing, her boots soundless on the mossy ground. She had fallen asleep on Kanan. 

Kanan was crew. Falling asleep on him like that crossed a professional boundary, something she swore she’d never do. She was the Captain and he was crew, nothing more, nothing less. They had rules, limits that needed to be respected, and falling asleep on each other broke all of them. 

But a treacherous part of her mind couldn’t get over how much she enjoyed it, how much she liked waking up at Kanan’s side.

“Get a hold of yourself, Syndulla.” she hissed softly as she continued to pace but she couldn’t get the smell of Kanan out of her mind. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to him, if she didn’t find him charming because he was. He was charming and reckless and handsome and so kriffing irritating but Hera liked him. She liked him more than she should and that made her stomach twist into knots. 

She didn’t have time for a relationship. She was building a rebellion, working towards a free galaxy, a relationship would only slow her down. It would complicate things, split her focus. Hera needed to keep her mind clear and set on the objective. She couldn’t let herself get distracted by a pretty face. 

But Kanan was more than just a pretty face. She had seen flashes on it back on Gorse, in little moments when he didn’t think anyone was watching, Kanan cared. As much as he liked to deny it, he saw the suffering in the galaxy and he cared about it. It lurked behind those strange teal eyes, the longing to help, to fix the wrongs that had been inflicted.

And he was kind. Considerate and gentle in the quiet moments between jobs - nothing like the smooth talking gunslinger she had met before. He still had his moments, but Hera was finding that she really didn’t mind those either because she knew the real him, deep down. Kanan was winning her over without even trying and it scared the hell out of her. 

Falling asleep on his shoulder certainly wasn’t helping the matter. 

Hera checked her comlink, disappointed to find she hadn’t missed any messages while she slept. She glanced up at the canopy of leaves and frowned. It would be dark soon, too dark for them to continue to wait. 

She trudged back over to Kanan and tapped him lightly on the cheek, pointedly ignoring how much younger he looked in sleep. Kanan stirred quickly, coming back to consinecenss in the span of a breath. His teal eyes swept the area, his hand falling to the empty space at his hip, not  reaching for his blaster but a weapon Hera suspected he used to wield. 

When he registered Hera standing before him, his shoulders relaxed and the panic fled from his eyes. 

“Hey.” he said in a rough, sleep warn voice that made Hera’s insides squirm pleasantly. 

“My contact is a no show.” she told him, taking a step back. “We should get moving.”

Kanan nodded before rubbing at his eyes. He jumped down from the tree root and stretched his arms above his head, his spine popping loudly. Hera’s eyes lingered on the strip of skin that was exposed as he stretched before quickly looking away, heat coloring her cheeks. She stomped forwards, towards the direction of the Ghost, longing for the privacy of her cabin. 

She heard Kanan jog to catch up with her. “Hey, you okay?” he asked, his tone soft and concerned. Hera kept her eyes trained forward and tried to ignore how her heart fluttered.

“I’m fine.” she replied shortly. 

“Sorry for fallin’ asleep.” he said, sounding sheepish. 

“It’s fine.”

There was a pause before Kanan said, “Then why do I get the feeling that it’s not fine?”

Hera stopped, her hands coming to rest on her hips, her head pointed towards the darkening sky. “I’m just frustrated.” she told him, closing her eyes. “With this job, with myself. That’s all.”

She felt Kanan’s touch on her shoulder and shivered at the contact, a shower of sparks cascading down her arm. “Don’t beat yourself up over this.” he said gently. “It’s not your fault your contact didn’t show.”

“I know.” Hera said quietly, swallowing past the emotion that was building in her throat. It wasn’t the job she was frustrated about. It was him and her feelings for him that was turning her inside out. But she couldn’t say that, not to Kanan. “It’s just…”

“Frustrating?”

Hera opened her eyes, looking in Kanan’s direction. There was a smile playing on his handsome face but there was also understanding. It made Hera’s knees weak. “Yeah,” she said. “It’s frustrating.”

Kanan’s head suddenly cocked to the side, his eyes going distant as if he had heard something far off. Hera strained her own ears, trying to listen but couldn’t hear anything over the sounds of the jungle. 

“We better get moving.” Kanan said, offering no other explanation. He gave Hera’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and took the lead, marching ahead of her back to the Ghost. 

When she fell asleep that night, safely back on her ship and surrounded by the comforting sounds of hyperspace, she let herself think back to that moment in the jungle. The warmth of Kanan’s body beside her own, the familiar and comforting smell of his skin, the sound of his heartbeat echoing in her ears. 

She thought about what it would be like to wake up next to him every morning, to fall asleep with his arms wrapped around her. 

“Do you want to leave?” Hera asked, turning in her chair to face him. Kanan peeled his eyes away from the viewport to see her green eyes filled with concern. She hadn’t shut the engines off yet, the comforting hum of them still vibrating in his bones. Kanan tapped a restless finger on the edge of the armrest. They could leave, it wasn’t like they would be breaking a contract of leaving a contact high and dry. But they were low on just about everything and desperately needed supplies. If they didn’t stop now, Kanan doubted they would have much say in where they stopped next. 

“No,” Kanan shook his head and forced himself to relax. “We need the supplies. We’ll just be…cautions.” They had been on Imperial occupied planets before, kriff, they had gone up against larger star destroyers before and won. One single ship shouldn’t have him feeling this way. 

Still he couldn’t quite shake the sense of dread that had fallen over him.

Hera watched him for a moment longer, the concern in her eyes not fading away like he had hoped. He arranged his face to look more relaxed and forced his posture to loosen. Cracking a lopsided grin, he winked at her, making the sweetest of color rise high on her cheeks. She frowned but began the shutdown cycle anyways. 

“We could always go somewhere else.” she said as her hand flew over the controls on the dashboard. 

“Running from the Empire seems a little counterproductive to your goals,” he said, standing. He stretched his arms up over his head, the tension in his spine releasing with satisfying little pops. “Don’t you think?”

“A smart rebel knows when and where to pick their fights. Fighting over a place like this,” she guestered out to the dingy hanger. “Is hardly worth dying for.”

“So we don’t die.” Kanan took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “We stay close, get our supplies, and go.”

“You could always stay with the ship.” Hera suggested, her hands finding his hips. Kanan felt his body move closer to hers on instinct. 

“And let you wander around with slavers on the loose?” a sick peel of nausea climbed up Kanan’s throat at the thought. “I’d rather take on the Imps.”

Hera gripped his chin firming between her thumb and finger, tilting his head so she could look directly at him. “I can handle myself.”

“Trust me,” Kanan smirked. “I know.”

She let go of his face, the corners of her mouth tilting up slightly. “Fine, Chopper will stay.” her lekku swung behind her as she made her way to the ladder leading down to the hold. “Hopefully this won’t take long.”

Kanan felt the tension return to his shoulders as she disappeared. His jaw clenched and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. “Hopefully.” he echoed before following after her. 

The halls of Jidla Spacestation were just as dingy as the hangar bay. A thick layer of grime clung to the walls and the neon lights above the plethora of cantinas flashed in uneven, multicolored intervals. Kanan and Hera kept close to one another as they navigated the dirty halls. More than once they had to dive into a shadowed alcove to avoid detection from a roaming stormtrooper patrol. 

It wasn’t entirely necessary, they both had forged chain codes that would stand up to Imperial inspection but there was a nagging sensation in the back of Kanan’s mind that made him want to steer clear. 

Avoid detection. 

Kanan shivered. He felt Hera place a warm hand on his arm as they walked away from the supplies vendor a few thousand credits lighter. 

“Everything alright, love?” she asked quietly. 

“‘M fine.” he muttered as a blurry looking spacer staggered by in a hurried pace. The atmosphere on the station was tense, a far cry from the chaos that usually ruled supreme. Even the legitimate business owners, like their supplier, didn’t linger to chat. You didn’t need to see the stormtroopers to know the Empire was here.

They wandered into a cantina to wait while their requested supplies were gathered more out of habit than necessity. Even there the mood was stifled. The music was as loud as ever but the conversations were hushed, the tension palpable. Kanan slipped onto an empty seat at the bar and waved a hand to get the bartender’s attention. 

A middle aged Twi’lek man with deep purple skin and bright orange markings ambled over. He wordlessly took their order, his golden eyes scanning the room constantly. 

“Any idea why the Empire is here, nerra?” Hera asked as the man slid her glass of jawa juice over to her. 

The bartender’s mouth twisted, as if he was deciding whether or not to say anything before he spoke. “You didn’t hear it from me,” he said lowly, his voice hissing out through his pointed teeth. “But word is, there’s a Jedi on the loose.”

Kanan’s blood turned to ice in his veins. There’s a Jedi on the loose.

Years of practice kept him rooted in his seat, his face a mask of indifference, despite his very urgent and sudden need to run. 

“A Jedi?” he heard Hera question through the pounding in his ears. “I heard they had all been wiped out.”

“So did I but there have been some strange happenings around the station lately.” the bartender continued, running a hand absently down his right lek. “In the lower sectors. Syndicate members turnin’ up dead, slavers gone missin’, and then two days ago, there was an explosion in one of the hangar bays. Killed a bunch of people. That’s when the Empire showed up.”

Hera slid a few credits over to the man in thanks before angling her body towards Kanan. The concern was back in her eyes, but there was something else there too, a look Kanan knew all too well and it was burning with intensity.  

“No.” he said, the ice in his veins breaking with the conviction of his voice. 

“Kanan,” Hera reached for his hand. “If there’s a chance, we have to try.”

“No we don't.” he snapped back. “We need to get the kriff out of here.”

“We can’t just leave them for the Empire to find.” her grip tightened. “You know what will happen then.”

“And if we get caught?” he ground his teeth together, closing his eyes as unwanted memories of blaster fire and smoke flashed across his mind. He did know what would happen if the Empire got its claws in a suspected Jedi. They would be made into an example, their body strung up for the whole spacestation to see, a grotesque reminder of the Empire’s might and the savage brutality that Kanan has somehow survived. 

He had survived it and now Hera was asking him to do it again. Being a Jedi was bad enough but being suspected of helping a Jedi was just as worse. If they got caught, Kanan shuddered, unable to finish the thought. 

But still, there was a part of him that agreed with her, a not so gentle nudge from Caleb, to do the right thing. Even if it meant certain death. 

“We have to try Kanan.”

“Fine.” he growled, his jaw still clenched tightly. He opened his eyes to Hera’s shining face, the pride in her eyes almost too much to bear. She caught the bartender’s attention again and waited until he was standing before him to ask her question. 

“This explosion, where was it?”

The bartender’s gaze flicked out towards the rest of the cantina before looking back at her. “Three levels down, near the Black Sun territory,” he replied. “The Imps have it locked down pretty tight, no one’s been able to get down there or out.” the bartender paused, then leaned in close. “There’s a bounty out for the Jedi if you’re lookin’ to cash in and I’ve gotta tip that might point you in the right direction.”

“What is it?” Kanan asked, his tone sharp.

“A shifty lookin’ character came by yesterday wearin’ robes like the Jedi use do. I had a droid follow ‘em when they left. Looks like they’re hold up in a hangar bay not too far from here.”

“You got the location of this hangar bay?” Hera asked, handing over another credit chip.

The bartender nodded. “This level, hangar bay wesk.” his eyes cut across the room. “Just be careful numa.” he said. “I remember what the Jedi were like before the Empire took over. This one…they ain’t right if you know what I mean.”

“Thanks,” Kanan said tightly as he stood. He forced himself to walk at a normal pace out of the cantina, his limbs vibrating with the need to run. “You got a plan for this?” he asked Hera out of the corner of his mouth as they walked slowly towards the targeted hangar bay. 

“I figure we can just talk to them, as a friend.” she replied, keeping her head forward. “Offer them safe passage out of here.”

“Are the supplies loaded?”

Hera checked her wrist comm, looking through a steady stream of messages from her astromech. “Chopper’s loading the last pallet now and the Ghost is fueled and ready to go.”

“And if we’re wrong? If this isn’t a Jedi?”

“Then we help someone escape the Empire.” she said, stopping to place a hand on Kanan’s shoulder. “I know this is a risk, more for you than anyone but Kanan, we have to try.”

Kanan didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. There were too many emotions welling up inside of him. Fear, anger, hope. Kanan couldn’t bring himself to say anything, so he just nodded and followed Hera’s lead. 

Hangar bay wesk was in far worse shape than any other part of the station. The lights had been blown out, leaving the hallway in near darkness. Trash was piled up outside of the closed blast doors that had a containment leak warning plastered all over it. It made sense that no one had ventured here, seeking the score; it was the perfect place to hide.

Hera tapped on the door control, fiddling with the buttons until the doors began to move, jolting in a rusty groan before stopping half way. 

They both reached for their blasters, holding them loosely as they entered. The inside of the hangar was in the same state of despair, the only source of light coming from the functioning magnetic field holding off the vacuum of space. A single craft sat in the center of the floor, its guts exposed as if someone had been working on it very recently. 

“Hello?” Hera called, her voice echoing off the high metal walls. “Is anyone here?”

Kanan's sense of dread intensified, his stomach twisting into tight knots. Something wasn’t right here. 

“Who’s that?” a voice responded. “Who are you?”

“A friend.” Hera said. “Looking to help those in need.”

“Who says I’m in need?” the voice asked.

“The stormtroopers patrolling the station for one thing.” she replied, keeping her posture loose. Kanan’s eyes swept the hangar, searching for the speaker but they were well hidden in the darkness. He inched closer to Hera, ready to push her out of the way of danger. “We’re no friends of the Empire, we help people, people like you.”

“Who is we?”

“My partner and I.” he felt Hera brush against him. “We’re here to help.”

The sound of trash moving caught Kanan’s attention, his body swinging to face the source of the noise. A figure in a hooded slowly emerged from the darkness, walking carefully towards the center of the hangar. “That’s awfully kind of you, to help a stranger.”

“Not everyone is as vile as the Empire. Some of us still believe in the old ways.” Hera paused. “Some of us still believe in the Jedi.”

The figure tensed, Kanan’s grip on his blaster tightening. He didn’t like this. Something was off and every second they stood here, the more the wrongness he felt grew. 

“The Jedi you say?” the figure asked, reaching up to pull back their hood. The fabric fell away, revealing a Human man with scars cut across his face. Even in the darkness, Kanan could see a strange glint in his eye as he looked at Hera, a hunger that made Kanan’s skin crawl. The man pushed back his robes to rest his hands on his hips, a flash of a blaster holster catching Kanan’s eye. “That’s a dangerous thing to be these days.”

Hera nodded in agreement. “It is, but we can help. I have a ship, we can get you someplace safe, away from the Empire.”

“That’s a very kind offer.” the man smiled, making nausea tear its way up Kanan’s throat. “From a very lovely lady.”

This man was no Jedi. He didn’t need the Force to see it. Darkness rolled off him in inky black waves, his true intent poisoning the air around them, only Hera couldn’t see it. She was blinded by hope that there were more Jedi out there, driven by a desperate need to show him that he wasn’t alone. To prove Kanan wasn’t the last Jedi alive. 

But she was wrong. Kanan’s people were dead and if they didn’t move now, they would be too. 

The man moved quickly, reaching for his blaster and squeezing off a stun blast directed right at Hera's chest. He was fast but Kanan was faster. 

His blaster clattered to the floor and his arms shot out. In the blink of an eye, the Force responded, freezing the stun blast in mid air and wrapping around the man like a vice. He heard Hera’s gasp of surprise before she quickly ducked behind Kanan and out of the stun blast’s trajectory. As soon as she was clear, Kanan released his hold on the blast, sending it flying towards a trash pile where it dissipated harmlessly. He then turned his attention to the imposter that was still frozen in place. 

“Who are you?” Kanan growled, feeling the flames of anger lick his insides. The Force swelled in him, reacting to the rage of his emotions. The last time he had insticutally called on it, it had been to stop a catwalk from crushing Hera. Now, once again it leapt to his aid to protect her again. 

The man, unable to move his limbs, gave Kanan a wicked smile “A Jedi, like you.” he managed to grunt out.

“You are no Jedi.” Kanan hissed in response.

“But you are. You’d fetch me a pretty penny if I sold you to the right people. And your rebel tail head girlfriend too.”

Kanan felt the Force tighten around the man, red filling his vision. 

“So what is it that you do?” Hera said, stepping out from behind Kanan, her face twisted into a mask of cold fury. “Pretend to be a Jedi and sell those you ‘help’ into slavery?”

“Neat trick ain’t it?”

“Except word got around that there was a Jedi on the loose and the Empire came to investigate, didn’t they?”

If the man could have shrugged, he would have. “Price you gotta pay. Nothing a little explosion can’t fix.” he said with no remorse. “Why don’t you tell your little Jedi pal here to let me go and I’m sure we can work something out.”

Kanan acted before Hera could respond. With a flick of his wrist he sent the slaver flying backwards, his body colliding with the hangar bay wall in a sickening thud. The scum was still alive but the temptation to end his life was strong. He had lied, to countless of innocent people in need of help, hiding behind the mask of a Jedi to sell them into lives of slavery and torture. 

He deserved a fate far worse than death and Kanan wanted to be the one to give it to him.

“Kanan.” Hera said, her gentle voice cutting through the violence in his mind. “Kanan, we need to go.”

He breathed sharply through his nose, letting the sensation of the Force leave his system, leaving him feeling worn. 

“Not yet.” he said. He walked over to the ship, ripping wires free from where they were exposed. Kicking his way through the trash, Kanan knelt by the slaver’s crumbled form and tied his arms tightly behind his back. He grabbed the collar of the man’s tattered robes and dragged him back to the ship. 

Hera grabbed her own fist full of wires and used them to secure the slaver to the nearest landing strut. “He won’t be getting out of that.” She said taking a step back. “Now, we really need to go love.”

Kanan nodded, scooping up his fallen blaster and letting her pull him out of the hangar bay. The walk back to the Ghost passed in a haze, Kanan’s mind still steeped in anger. It wasn’t until he felt the lurch of the ship rising into the air that he came back to himself to find the flickering image of the bartender sitting above the dashboard.

“We left him tied up in the hangar bay.” Hera was saying.

“You don’t want the bounty?” the bartender asked, confused. 

“Have at it.” she shook her head. “But don’t expect the full amount. He’s no Jedi, just a common slaver.”

The bartender rubbed his forehead. “Well, it’s still a good score and now there’s one less slaver roaming around thanks to you, numa. Next time you are in port, drinks are on the house.”

“It might be a while before then, nerra.” Hera smiled sadly. “But we’ll hold you to it.”

The image of the bartender flickered out, sending the cockpit into echoing silence. 

“I’m sorry,” Hera said, breaking the quiet after a few moments. “I should have listened to you.”

Kanan sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.” he told her. “There was no way to know who the man really was.”

“It was a bad idea, a fool's hope.”

“We had to try.” Kanan said, reaching for her hand. “Like you said. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing we could have helped and didn’t and I know you’d feel the same.”

There was a rustle of fabric as Hera moved her chair, her hand still linked with Kanan’s. He felt the ship jump to hyperspace, cracking open his eyes to a familiar blue swirl. Hera was looking at him with a frown.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, sitting up. 

“Are you mad?”

“At you? I told you Hera, you have nothing to be sorry for.” He stood, pulling her to her feet and wrapping her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head before resting his keep against the soft fabric of her flight cap. “There’s nothing wrong with having hope.”

“No, not at me.” Hera said, a hand curling around his tunic. “I’ve never seen you do that before, use the Force like that. You looked so…angry.”

“Yeah,” he said softly, a flash of shame slicing through him. “I was angry. It’s bad enough what the Empire did to my people but what that sleemo was doing…it’s almost worse.”

“Do you think..” Hera trailed off. Kanan held her closer, knowing what she was going to ask. “Do you think there are others? Do you think there are more Jedi out there?”

Kanan closed his eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of her. How many nights had he spent thinking that very question? How many hours had he wasted, reaching out into the Force looking for his family, only to find a gaping maw of emptiness. 

Hera stomped away from him, her blood pounding in her ears. She reached for the ladder leading to the cockpit, her hand shaking. “I expect you to follow my orders. If you can’t do that, then maybe we shouldn’t work together.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t.” he echoed.

Hera closed her eyes and tried to ignore how her heart ached.

-

“So does this mean I can start calling you husband?” Hera asked with a giggle as Kanan kissed a trail up her neck, his hands a warm weight on her bare hips. 

“Only if I can call you wife.” he responded, kissing her jaw, the corner of her mouth, then her cheek. 

Hera ran her hands down his back, feeling the muscles shift beneath her fingers, a pool of heat building in her stomach. She could still hear the music from the festival ringing in her ears, the taste of sweet wine still lingering on her tongue. Kanan smiled down at her, mirth shining in his strange teal eyes. 

She loved him.

She loved him more than anything, with every fiber of her being. 

She loved him. 

Hera pushed herself up to capture his mouth with hers, kissing him deeply. Kanan responded eagerly, pulling her close until it was impossible to tell where she ended and he began. They moved together, a tangled mess of breathy moans and a shared heartbeat. 

When they were satiated, wrapped around each other with the press of sleep heavy around them, Hera asked, “Do you think that ceremony was binding? Legally?”

Kanan’s thumb stroked absently up and down her arm. “Do you want it to be?”

Hera’s fingers danced along his jar. “More than anything.”

“Then I guess it is.” he smiled. “You are legally, officially, my wife.”

Hera kissed him gently on his lips. “And you are legally, officially, my husband.”

-

“Hand me that hydrospanner will you love?” Hera asked, arms deep into the Ghost’s hyperdrive. Tinny music echoed off the walls of the engine room, her head bouncing slightly along with the beat. 

“Yes dear.” Kanan responded, handing her the requested tool. His right arm was still strapped to his chest, the sling now covered in engine grease. At least his black eye was healing nicely. 

“Is Sabine still avoiding you?”

Kanan nodded, leaning back against the bulkhead. “She’s still upset about it.”

“You told her it wasn’t her fault right?”

Kanan sighed, “Yes dear.”

“Maybe I’ll talk to her.” Hera said, mostly to herself as she turned back to the engine. 

“She just needs time.” Kanan told her. “I don’t think talking about it will help.”

“If you say so.” she hummed. “Do you need more bacta?”

She heard Kanan stand, his footsteps soft on the metal floor. “You worry too much.” he said, kissing the top of her head. 

Hera stopped working and looked up at him to find a gentle smile on his face. She smiled back, feeling her heart flip in her chest. “That’s my job love.”

He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I think you need a break.” he said, leading her out of the engine room.

“I’ve still got repairs to do.” she protested weakly.

“It can wait,” he told her as they walked down the loading ramp and out into the bright Lothal afternoon.“Eat some lunch.”

Hera closed her eyes against the warm breeze that rolled off the plains. “Yes dear.”

-

Hera ran a hand over her swollen belly, the humid air of Yavin heavy all around her as she stood on the small balcony overlooking the landing field. In the distance, the dense jungle swayed against the darkening horizon. 

“I can’t wait to meet you.” she whispered. “I can’t wait for you to meet your daddy.”

Her baby gave a gentle kick against her hand, bringing a smile to her face. She sighed contently as a calloused hand came to rest over hers, a warm wall of heat pressing against her back. 

“I can’t wait for you to meet your momma.” Kanan said softly against her ear. “She’s pretty amazing but she works too much.”

“I thought you were going to be out late.” Hera said, turning around to face him, her pregnant belly keeping space between them. 

Kanan shrugged, “Ezra can handle it. He doesn’t need me there anymore.”

She reached up and touched his face, rubbing her thumb over the forming wrinkles. “He’s always going to need you.”

“Not for this.” he placed both hands on her stomach, leaning down so he was eye level with her bump. “Besides, I’ve got two people right here that need me more.”

Hera dragged a hand through Kanan’s still growing hair, a constant reminder of just how close they had come to losing him, how close her family came to being torn apart. She swallowed thickly, pushing back the well of emotion that was clogging her throat. 

“Stop that.” Kanan said, pushing himself back up, his knees popping in the process. “Don’t dwell on the past.”

“You make it sound so easy.” she said with a watery breath. “You almost died, Kanan. I almost lost you.”

“But I didn’t.” he told her. “I’m right here.”

“I know, I know.” Hera blinked away her tears, walking slowly over to her bed and sitting down. She held her belly, resting her head on Kanan’s shoulder when he sat down next to her. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” he agreed, holding her close. “Me too.”

Hera took a breath, breathing in the comforting smell of Kanan. He was here, he was alive. 

She led her group towards the main control room while the other team headed for the only area on the station that was still operating on low power. Maybe they would find something useful there, something that could help cripple the Empire for good. Or better yet, a clue as to what Thrawn had his minions researching while he had been busy terrorizing Lothal and if it could lead her to Ezra.

Thus far, her search for Ezra had been less than successful. With the attack on Yavin and the subsequent destruction of the Death Star, Hera didn’t have the time or resources available to really look for him. There hadn’t been a night where she didn’t lie awake in her cot while guilt slowly ate away at her. Ezra was her crew, her family, and she wasn’t doing everything she could to find him.

But now she finally had a chance to change that.

Her team’s footsteps echoed strangely in the long metal hallway as they advanced towards the main control center, the light from their glowrods hardly enough to cut through the gloom. Broken pipes hung from the ceiling, several sections of the walls torn back to expose wiring and other salvageable bits that had begun to rust in the low atmosphere of the station.

It was unclear in the data they had recovered what Thrawn was using the station for or why it had been abandoned but Hera was determined to find out. She adjusted her grip on her glowrod to activate her wrist comm. “Strike Leader Blue is this Strike Leader Green, what’s your status?” she asked in a commanding whisper.

“Strike Leader Green this is Strike Leader Blue, we’re coming up on the source of power now.” crackled Lueteniant Bitee’s voice. “Stand by.”

Hera wordless signaled her team to stop, the four rebel fighters turning to face her with drawn faces. They all held their breath while they waited for Strike Team Blue to report in.

After several tense minutes, Hera’s wrist com crackled to life. “Uh, General.” Lt. Bitee said. “You’re gonna want to see this.”

“What is it?” she demanded, her feet already in motion, tearing back down the hallway.

“It’s best if you see it in person, Sir.”

A pit of dread formed in her stomach as she ran. Thousands of possibilities raced through her mind. Was it bodies? A weapon? Something far worse?

Hera turned a corner, her boots clattering against the durasteel floor. Up ahead she could see Strike Team Blue clustered around a set of blastdoors. An eerie blue light spilled out from the chamber beyond, the smell of bacta thick in the cold air.

She slowed her pace as she approached, Strike Team Blue clearing the way for her to pass. Her hands began to sweat in her gloves, her heart fluttering against her breastbone as she crossed the threshold.

Somehow, it was colder in the chamber than the rest of the station, even with the power still activated. Hera shivered as she looked around, taking in the line of cots that made up the left wall and the impressive amount of medical equipment scattered about. Even if they didn’t find anything of use, they could always salvage the med supplies. She spotted Lt. Bitee standing by one of two large bacta tanks fixed to the right wall. Hera approached him, her blood pounding in her ears.

As she grew closer she noticed a figure floating in the thick healing substance, a figure she would recognize anywhere.

Kanan.

Suddenly Hera was back on that fuel pod, her body suspended in midair, held aloft by the current of Force Kanan had directed at her. She could see him standing there with arms outstretched as he pushed back the flames. She watched as milky white eyes turned blue.

Then he was gone, ripped from her life in an explosion of metal and fire, leaving behind a wound that would never heal.

Kanan had sacrificed himself so they could live.

He was gone and Hera’s life had shattered.

Kanan was dead

And yet, here he was, floating in a bacta tank.

Hera didn’t remember moving. The next thing she was consciously aware of was the smooth transparasteel pressed up against her face, her eyes wide as they took in Kanan’s body. His hair had grown out again, the long strands floating around his face, suspended in the bacta. There was a respirator strapped to his mouth and she could see that his amber skin was marred by a network of waxy looking scars. She didn’t trust the gentle rise and fall of his chest. She didn’t dare believe her eyes.

“Is he alive?” she asked in a hushed whisper, her breath fogging up the glass. “Tell me, is he alive.”

“Readings say so, Sir.” Lt. Bitee said, his voice far away and echoey. “Looks like he was safe to come out of batca a few months ago.”

“Get him out.” Hera ordered, unable to detach herself from the front of the tank.

“But General, we don’t know who he is-” Lt. Bitee interjected.

Hera spun to face him, her lekku flying. “I said get him out.” she demanded in a harsh snap. “Now.”

Lt. Bitee paled but nodded, gesturing to the other members of his team to begin extracting Kanan from the tank. Someone pulled her back and Hera let them, watching with sharp eyes as Kanan’s body was lifted from the bacta and slowly lowered onto a hovercart. The second the respirator was free, she was by his side.

She let her gloves drop to the floor, unbothered by the chill in the room. Her fingers trembled as they hovered over Kanan’s familiar skin. Slowly, she lowered them to the underside of his neck.

Kanan’s heartbeat was a strong and steady tempo.

Hera fell onto him, her arms pulling his limp body close, not caring about the sticky bacta that covered him. She could feel the heat from his skin, hear the sound of his breathing, smell that familiar smell that was so distinctly Kanan.

He was here.